Healing the healing garden
April 20, 2008
Our front garden last summer
In January a car crashed into the guard rail you see at the right side of the picture. Luckily no one was hurt, but the concrete poles and the iron rails were destroyed, not to mention the front part of the garden.
The rail was replaced, but of course big boots stamping on the wet clay damaged the garden further.
Today was the first opportunity I had to actually work in that part of the garden.
I am thankful that it is small enough that I can run every handful of earth and every weed through my fingers. That is how I reclaim the garden again after the long winter sleep. We get reacquainted, and once again my heart reconnects with the earth and its healing. The whole spring, summer and early autumn, the garden is my paradise and refuge.
But starting to clear it this morning, I found it wounded. There were blocks of rubble left over from the accident, pieces of car, shards of glass, and garbage from the workers who put in the new rail. And the clay was packed hard over and around the plants. Parts look barren and neglected.
So it felt wonderful to return to my garden some of the love and healing it has always so unstintingly given to me.
April 21, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Sarah, Your front garden looks very pretty in the photo. I know what you mean about the garden being a refuge and paradise. I was out working in mine yesterday too! A glorious warm sunny weekend. I have only one tiny snow island left in a shady corner of the backyard. I filled seven large paper garden bags with leaves raked from the flower beds. (An overnight rainshower would be in order now to give all the spring bulbs and perennials that are poking up a drink.) It’s always interesting to tour around at this time of year checking to make sure all the plants and bushes made it through another winter. Glad you were able to put your garden back in order. Here’s to many precious garden hours ahead!
Dale
April 24, 2008 at 6:09 pm
hi Dale, thanks for dropping by. I am glad you are out in the garden again. I know Canada has longer winters than we do. We haven’t had ’snow islands’ for months. Only occasional hail hillocks.